Birthday Beets

This past Friday a couple of us celebrated a friend's birthday (30th?). How great is it when the one you're celebrating for also does most of the grocery shopping, the prep work and half of the cooking before you arrive? She even asked *me* what I'd be interested in for the meal. I wanted beets, knowing they are one of her favorites as well. All I had to do was bring the wine.

So she decided on Marinated Giant White Beans and Beets from the New York Times, along with Skordalia and, for dessert, Lemon Bars. "Giant white beans" are just big lima beans in disguise, but they taste better maybe because they're bigger, or maybe because they're served with something else that's actually tasty.

We decided that Skordalia should be known as "German or Greek pesto". Garlicky Goodness! It was perfect with the beans and the entire loaf of bread we wolfed down.

Repeat after me: "Beets are delicious." I sometimes have cravings for beets. I don't care what crap your mom served to you when you were a kid - go get some, scrub, chop and roast them. Roasted beets with salt, pepper and olive oil are some of the most tastiest things on the planet. Add some sweet potatoes, shallots and maybe some dill or rosemary or topped with feta and some balsamic vinegar. It was change you into a beet lover. Golden yellow beets are also good and don't stain, but lack the peaty punch I crave. Canned beets should be banned. And pickled beets - meh. Beets are, of course, uber-healthy to boot.


Who can resist an ooey-gooey lemon bar? So glad that Pam added the lemon zest, which the recipe did not call for. Happy Birthday!

Snacks

This weekend is a pretty busy one for me. My son has a regional swim meet - which means it's his last chance to qualify for the state meet. To qualify, he has to make a certain time. It was his one goal for the season.

So, both Saturday and Sunday mornings I have spend about 4 hours at the pool. His team is one of the largest in the area which means we host all the big meets. Hosting a meet means working it. Since he's swimming 2 days, I have to work 2 days. Whee! 'Forced' volunteering. But I digress...

My point is that I spent this evening working, will "volunteer" at the pool tomorrow, work tomorrow evening and then work at the pool again on Sunday morning. Phew! Yeah, that's a weekend alright. What I need this weekend is quick, good, healthy food. Here's a few ideas I have already made for the weekend.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa 

I used the basic idea from Rachael Ray. The only changes I made was instead of a red pepper, I used a hot pepper ( I don't remember which one, I got it a little while ago.... I think it was an Anahiem) and left out the hot sauce as a result. I also used about 16oz of frozen organic corn from Trader Joes. I had intended to get the roasted corn, but grabbed the wrong bag. I also upped the black beans and went with 2 cans of organic black beans from Trader Joes.

It turned out GREAT! Love love love it. And for about $5 I get a ton of salsa. People pay $5 for an 8 oz jar -- this made like 5 times that amount.

Fresh Dill Dip

This didn't come from any specific recipe -- just using a basic creamy dip foundation.  As I mentioned, I got the Aerogarden for Christmas and I am quickly being overwhelmed with herbs. I didn't like dill much because I always thought of dill pickles, which I HATE. Fresh dill however is pretty good.  So here's my recipe.

1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup light sour cream
~ 1/4 cup chopped dill
1 tsp garlic powder

Stir it all together and enjoy! Great with veggies or crackers - or both.

Chicken Salad

Last, but not least. Something else I have mentioned before is good old Costco. I went there today to pick up some Izze juice/soda. While there, I decided to grab one of their rotisserie chickens. They are very very good and cost just $5 (actually... $4.99). I take it home, chop it up, throw in in a bowl, add about 3 stalks of celery, about 1/2 cup mayo some salt & pepper and I have chicken salad! Costco makes and sells salad from their chicken, but charge about $10 for a lb. Yikes! In their defense, I suppose, Costco does pay a living wage unlike some other warehouse club, so I guess it's worth it if you can't make it yourself.

I usually eat it on a bread, a bagel or alone.

So, now you know what I am eating this weekend.